All the Roads that Lead to You
by SexyInTrousers
Summary: A young girl leaves home to find a better life for herself. Little did she know that she would encounter the most difficult challenge known to mankind: falling in love. Once-lerXOC
1. She's Leaving Home

The morning sky was still dark as Rosie emptied the drawers of her dresser. She folded every garment carefully and struggled to fit most of her wardrobe in a small suitcase. "Dear, are you sure you want to leave? Who knows what horrors you'll encounter! I'm sure you'll come back crying to your momma. Just, reconsider darling, this is just far too rash!" her mother warned the young girl.

She dismissed the question, insulted that her own mother doubted her strength. She emptied the suitcase at once. It was a complete mess! There were simply not enough pajamas! She explored another drawer and spotted her favorite pajama bottoms: pink with cupcakes on them. Her mother was still looking at her with disapproval.

She gave her a weak smile. "Mother, I'll be fine. I've always wanted to travel," she said attempting to ease her mother's nerves. She had resolved months ago that she was old enough to leave home. She was tired of being a burden to her family and was certain that her absence would leave them with more money to spend, and therefore, a better life.

She gulped, reminding herself of the long road ahead that awaited her eagerly and the difficulties she must face. Her suitcase was now filled in a satisfactory manner. She closed her suitcase and reached for a large backpack where she packed a small tent, a warm quilt, dried fruit, a container of water, and various products to preserve her impecable hygiene.

She emptied her jar of savings where she had placed the earnings of her part-time job for the past few months. She placed the money in a discreet compartment and closed the backpack. Satisfied with her packing, she hung the backpack onto her shoulders and grabbed the suitcase with one of her free hands.

At last, she made her way to the door. She looked back and waved goodbye, as if she was going to visit a friend and return shortly. Her mother had held back from crying while she packed her clothes carelessly. Her impending tears finally found a way to her eyes and Rosie outstretched her arms to embrace her.

She bid her a bitter farewell with tears in her own eyes, then she stepped outside and closed the door behind her, keeping herself from looking back, lest she burst into tears. The sun rose from the east as she walked towards her new life. She took a breath of the fresh morning air and held onto the straps of her backpack with both hands. She tread on the path she had stepped on so often as a child, admiring the places where she used to play and all that she was leaving behind.

There was a skip in her every step. Her adventure was just about to begin. She walked past all the paths she knew, and sought to find something entirely new. She walked on, admiring the new sights as they unfolded before her eyes. The grass was green, the flowers were bright, and Rosie walked on until the night. At last, she found a spot to rest, came to a stop and set up her tent. She kicked off her shoes to free her tired feet, then lay down on the tent's cold floor and went to sleep.


	2. The Long and Winding Road

Rosie woke up to the sound of loud, energetic singing. She sighed. Were all the people in that town so loud? She surely hoped not. She pushed her messy bed hair out of her eyes and gathered it in a loose pony tail. She had hoped to sleep in, but obviously that wasn't going to happen. She could never fall asleep again after someone woke her up.

After a satisfactory yawn, she stepped outside, curious to find the source of the sound. "Na, na, nanana, woop dah dah da da doo doo doo!" the singing continued. The noise-maker turned out to be a slender man with ridiculously long limbs. He had short black hair and bright blue eyes. He wore black and gray stripped pants, a white long-sleeved shirt with a grey vest on top , and a gray fedora that sat atop his joyful head as nicely as a cherry on a neat serving of ice cream.

He was riding on a mule-drawn wagon headed to god knows where so early in the morning. Rosie instantly regretted setting her tent near the road. At last, she decided she had done enough resting and packed her tent and quilt in the blink of an eye. Once more, she set out on her journey to find a home of her own. She walked with a smile on her face, a song on her lips, and a burden on her shoulders that was not enough to dampen her spirits.

She walked as briskly as always, intending to walk as far as she could in the light of the day. With this mentality, she might as well have been trotting, and caught up with the singing man and his mule-drawn wagon in a matter of minutes. She was an odd sight: a tiny girl carrying a monstrous load, hurrying ahead, with a quaint expression on her face. The young man looked over absent mindedly and noticed her.

He could have almost laughed. She had a determined look on her face that made her look as cute as a pouting child. Facial expression aside, he felt sorry for her when he realized just how great of a load she was burdened with. "Need a lift?" he asked with an empathetic smile. "Well, if it isn't too much trouble.." she fidgeted. "Trouble, shnobble, hop on!" he grinned as he pulled her onto the driver's seat with one quick motion and threw her luggage in the back of the wagon with another.

The seat was small, so he had to move to the left side as much as possible to squeeze her in. On occasions like these, being skinny sure came in handy to him. Rosie struggled to find a place for her hands, and felt slightly out of place, having had very little interaction with men in the past. Even so, she thanked the stranger as best as she could. "Anytime. Name's Once-ler by the way," he proclaimed proudly, aimed his thumb at his chest, and sent it crashing into the guitar that hung around his neck. The sharp pain hit him a second later, so that his wide grin was contorted into a pained expression. He looked as if he drank a cup of lemon juice by itself. He waved his hand around as if to numb the pain.

Rosie was touched by his clumsiness. Her hand went to one of her pockets and pulled out a small tube of ointment. She always carried one with her, in case of an emergency. This wasn't exactly what she'd call an emergency but she was thankful. She squeezed out a drop of the ointment onto her index fingers and took Once-ler's right hand in hers. She spread it on the surface of his thumb with care.

The sudden soft touch of her warm hands made Once-ler blush slightly, but he managed to conceal any sort of bashfulness. "There, that should do it." Rosie said softly to her acquaintance. "Thanks, uh.." he started and Rosie remembered she had not introduced herself yet. "I'm Rosie. Don't worry, it's the least I can do to thank you for your kindness." Once-ler laughed lightly. "Oh, please, it's what anyone else would have done. I couldn't call myself a gentleman if I let you go on your own like that." All at once Rosie realized just how much she had exaggerated the young man's wound.

Once-ler noticed a discomfort in her expression. "Where are you headed to, anyway?" he inquired casually to break the ice. "Well, I've always dreamed of living out in the open, closer to nature. It's really stupid." She laughed lightly, putting a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Not at all," he assured her with a look that asked her to continue.

"I'm searching for a place called Truffula Valley. My mom always told me stories of it when I was a child. I would always beg her to describe it before I went to sleep. She said it houses the most whimsical creatures alive. There are Humming Fish who sing joyful tunes all day long. I'm sure you would enjoy those. There are playful Bar-ba-loots with soft fur, and Swomee Swans that build cozy nests on the trees. Actually, the best part of Truffula Valley might be the trees. Mother said the touch of their tufts is softer than anything, even silk and they smell like butterfly milk. The air is clean and the sky is the brightest blue, and the clouds drift and dance up above, as if mesmerized by the singing of the Humming Fish."

She realized she was getting too carried away and stopped at once as she felt her face and ears grow warm. Once-ler had been listening entranced with his head nestled in his hands and his imagination running wild. He was brought out of his daydream by a question. "And you, Once-ler? Why are you on the road, too?" He didn't have to think twice to answer.

"Well, /I'm/ off to change the world with my revolutionary invention: The Thneed. It has hundreds of different uses, making it the perfect addition to any home, and the ideal gift for any kind of person." He showed her a sketch of his design and went on about its many different uses. Rosie was amazed. "I'd love to buy one. It seems to be the most practical product imaginable." She was glad she had brought her savings with her. A Theed would come in very useful if she'd be living on her own.

"And I'd love to give you one but, to be honest, I don't really know what I'll make it with yet," he confessed sadly. Rosie was disappointed but thought it best not to say anything that might bring him down any more. She decided to change the topic. "That's a cute little guy," she said pointing to the mule transporting them, "What's his name?" she asked, genuinely curious to know. "This old guy? This is Melvin. Say hello Melvin!" The mule grunted in answer. Rosie giggled softly to herself.

"I got him when I was just thirteen." Once-ler told her "Mother wanted to kill him because he was too old to do very heavy jobs. I never really liked speaking against my mother, but I had become attached to him. I don't know exactly how much I begged, or how much of my food I sacrificed, but here he is, alive and kicking." He looked ahead at the path before them and smiled to himself, remembering the day he had saved Melvin. They were silent for a while, each of them occupied with their own thoughts.

At last, Once-ler spoke. "Hey, Rose, you think this Truffula Valley of yours has any potential Thneed materials?" He asked hopefully. He had been searching for something to make his Thneed with since he set out from home a week ago. He had been travelling long now, and had just happened to take the right path that made him stumble into Rosie. Rose paused to think and anwered,"Most likely. I haven't even been there before. Who knows what else there is? I guess I'll find out when I get there."

Once-ler mused to himself until the most incredible idea dawned upon him. Well, since the invention of the Thneed, that is. "You know what, Rose? I can take you to Truffula Valley!" he exclaimed as soon as he could find the right words for his statement. His mule rolled his eyes. His master was always tangling himself in difficult situations and he was always dragged along for the ride. "Really?" Rosie asked excitedly. She could not believe it. She seemed to have stumbled into the right person.

"Really!" he cheered, poking her nose playfully. He started a joyful tune that made Melvin want to cover his ears with something, anything. "Now frankly, Rosie, I must say, it sounds like a mighty wonderful place. So, come with me and you will see, we'll find the thing to make my Thneed!" To his surprise, Rosie joined in, with a voice to match his own. "Once-ler, I know we just met, but your Thneed will surely sell, I bet. So hang on now and you will see, I'll be the one to help make your Thneed!" Then, they both sang: "Nana, nananana, whoop da da dada doo doo doo! We're off to see a place fit for dreams and we're off to make some Thneeds!" They both fell back laughing as their equine companion gave grunts of disapproval.

They got along well. Neither of them expected to the other to fully support their dream, but now they shared a common destination. As they rode on into the late afternoon, Once-ler told Rosie of his departure from home and how his mother had laughed at the mere thought of his invention succeeding. She sympathized with him even though her mother was actually worried about her and did not humiliate her as she left home.

They rode on through fields, up and down hills, and around rivers. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. They stopped little before nightfall to let Melvin rest and get a drink of cool water. They had their last meal of the day which consisted of dried fruit, sandwiches, and cool water from a river. They lay on the grass beside the flowing body of water and admired the vastness of the sky.

"It makes you feel small, doesn't it?" Once-ler thought out loud. "Even a beanpole like you feels small?" Rosie joked, poking fun at his ridiculous height. "Hey! I'm not /that/ tall!" Once-ler complained in response. He compared himself to the petite girl beside him and had to agree. They spent the remainder of the night by that river and talked on through the night, neither of them able to sleep with the excitement of the journey before them. Once in a while, Melvin joined in their merriment, but made sure not to let them notice, lest they think he was as foolish as them. As Rosie lay on the grass next to her new-found companion she did not regret having decided to sleep next to that road, even if it cost her a few hours of sleep, she seemed to have gained a wonderful friend.


	3. I'm Only Sleeping

Hello readers! It took me a bit to update because of some frantic last-minute study binge I went on for an academic competition. But, never fear.. chapter 3 is here! I received some very encouraging reviews that I'm very thankful for. Someone wrote that their friend recommended my fanfic to them. (Oh my gosh, my fanfic is being recommended!) Also, I'm glad some of you enjoy the fact that I name my chapters after Beatles songs. It brings joy to my little fangirl heart that people actually enjoy this. But, enough reminiscing.. onwards!

Once-ler woke up in the back of his wagon among his belongings with a quilt draped over him. He owned a perfectly functional tent, but he planned to install it in the place where he would stay permanently, since putting it back in the wagon took up far too much time. He rubbed his eyes, struggling to fully awake himself. He sat up and let out a great yawn to welcome the morning. He heard his stomach growl and decided it was time for some breakfast.

He took out all the ingredients to make delicious pancakes, put on his favorite (and only) apron, and lit a small fire to cook the early morning away. He decided he would make twice the amount as usual, since Rosie was now travelling with him. It was odd to travel with someone when he had been alone for the past week, but it was comforting to have someone around to talk to for a change.

He beat the liquid mix effortlessly, and added more flour until he achieved the desired consistency. At last, he placed the frying pan over the fire, supported by a few stones, and started turning and tossing pancakes in the air with ease until he had a stack of them on a plate. "Voila! And /that's/ how you make pancakes." he said to himself. After the pancakes were cooked, there was no reason to keep the fire lit, so he put it out promptly. He took a seat on the grass and settled down to eat pancakes.

Rosie, who been sleeping quietly in her tent, was now awake thanks to the enticing smell of freshly cooked pancakes. She poked her sleepy head out of her tent. "Morning" she half yawned, half grumbled. She took in a quick look of her surroundings. Once-ler was sitting cross-legged on the ground, with a giant stack of pancakes in front of him, munching on a pancake sandwich, and Melvin was eating a few sliced apples happily. "Good morning~ sunshine. We have a beautiful day ahead of us," Once-ler said, noticing his companion was awake, "The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the pancakes are ready to be eaten." Rosie took a seat by the extinguished fire, taking a plate and grabbing a few pancakes for herself.

"Is that.. chocolate?" Rosie inquired, taking notice of a small jar of a of mysterious brown spread. "Hazelnut spread. My own recipe," he answered proudly with his mouth full of pancakes. "Frankly, I don't like to add any toppings to my pancakes, but I thought you might enjoy it." Rosie stared blankly at it. She had never had anything like this back at home. She usually ate her pancakes with plain old maple syrup, but it wouldn't hurt to try something new. She opened the jar curiously, dipped her spoon in the strange chocolately stuff, and took a taste of it.

All at once, her taste buds were in ecstasy. It was sweet, perfect, everything she ever desired packed into a small jar. She instantly spread the heavenly sweetness on her pancake stack. Once-ler looked over and smiled to himself. His family never appreciated his food much, and it brought him joy to see others enjoy his cooking. Rosie was cutting her stack into small bite-sized pieces and chewing away happily. It was a perfect way to eat breakfast. They were out in the open, sitting on the grass in their pajamas, eating pancakes by the river.

Once-ler looked over at Rosie, who was eating so happily that she didn't notice she had gotten a bit of Hazelnut spread on her chin. The young man took a small handkerchief in his hand and gently took care of it. He lifted her chin up slightly, so that she was looking directly at him while he worked diligently to clean her face. He let the handkerchief fall out of his hand and let go of Rosie's reddening face. She turned away in embarrassment.

They both went back to eating their pancakes, exchanging a few words once in a while. At last, Once-ler put away their plates and packed up his cooking supplies. "I suppose you'll want to soak in the river before we go on." Once-ler said as he threw the frying pan in the back of the wagon and unloaded an odd contraption. Rosie stared blankly at this as well. Two strange things in one single day.

Once-ler explained, "This, my dear Rosie, is a most convenient contraption. You pull this right here, and it launches this in motion, so that you end up with.. this. Voila! A portable privacy room." Rosie was amazed. In just a few seconds he had built a portable "room" before her eyes. It consisted of two support stands, a round metal frame at the top, and a curtain draped around the circular frame, that hung down to cover every inch of her while she bathed in the river. Rosie thought the design of the curtain was cute. It was blue with yellow rabbits on it, just like Once-ler's pajamas.

She decided she might as well use it and tried dragging it over to the river, without any success. "I should /probably/ have set it up in the river," Once-ler laughed nervously. Rosie gave him a look of disapproval. Once-ler gave her a quick look that seemed to say, "Don't worry, babe, I got this" and lifted the contraption up with ease, carrying it to the river and setting it down where Rosie directed. Rosie wondered where in his skinny arms he had stored all that strength. He set a towel down on the grass, close to the curtained space.

"Alright then, I'll be by the wagon if you need me. Or, if your life is in grave peril, an 'Oh, help me Once-ler! You're so strong and handsome!' will do it too." Rosie laughed. "Now, now, don't get /too/ carried away Mister," she waved him away with her hand. She waited for him to walk far enough to open the curtain and let herself in. She undressed and threw her clothes over the opening at the top, so that they would be dry on the grass.

The water was a bit cold, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She soaked in the cool water and refrained from using too much shampoo to keep from contaminating the beautiful river too much. Meanwhile, Once-ler climbed on the back of the wagon to rest before their long journey. He laid at the back with his hat shielding his face from the sun. He was so comfortable that he decided to take a nap. Just a few minutes wouldn't hurt. Rosie might take hours in there as far as he knew. He didn't know enough about women to know. He closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep.

When he woke up, Rosie had finished bathing. She had dressed herself in a yellow summer dress and had put her brown hair to the side in a braid. Once Once-ler had bathed and dressed, they packed up and resumed their journey. Once-ler, with his handy-dandy carpenter skills, had added more room to the driver's seat so they could both seat comfortably. "I've been thinking," Rosie said less than an hour into the journey "I would like to help you drive the wagon for when you want to rest. We could take turns and it wouldn't be such a tedious job. Well, if you want to, that is."

Once-ler was a little shocked at the sudden suggestion, but was happy to get some rest for a change. "That's a great idea. Here." He took her hands in his and gave her the reins to the wagon. Rosie blushed as she felt his larger hands hold her small hands with care. "It's really not all that complex. Melvin here does most of the work, you just need to do this when you want him to go left, and pull this way when you want him to go right, and if you need to go forward, you just leave him be. " Rosie smiled. "You're right! It /isn't/ that difficult."

Once-ler let go of her hands and let her drive on her own. She was glad that she could contribute to the journey in some way. After all, Once-ler had offered to take her to Truffula Valley, and he had done nothing but take care of her since then. Once-ler leaned against the back of the seat, and pulled his hat down over his face to take a nap. He could now rest assured that Rosie would take care of Melvin while he rested his eyes. Rosie drove on in silence, with no sound but light snoring from Once-ler, who was now sound asleep.

She had a general idea of where they were headed. If she ever doubted of which path to take, she could always ask Once-ler. She looked over at Once-ler. The driving of the day before had drained all energy from him. He deserved to take a break. Even if driving the wagon seemed easy at first, it soon became boring and tiresome. She took the hat off his head gently and ran her fingers through his black locks of hair. He was a heavy sleeper and wouldn't have woken up even if Rosie had sung loudly.

"Rosie" Once-ler mumbled in his sleep. The girl was so startled that she withdrew her hand immediately, thinking he may have been awake. "There are too many elves on the marshmallow road, Rosie. Gandalf says we cannot pass," Once-ler continued, still talking in his sleep. Rosie laughed to herself and continued driving. It would be a long journey from then on.


	4. Things We Said Today

"Aaargh! I can't take this anymore!" Rosie cried out, pulling at her hair in complete despair. They had been travelling for weeks down a seemingly endless road. They were then at the heart of a merciless desert engulfed in scorching heat. Her mouth was dry but she could not risk a drink of water when their water supply was already so depleted.

Once-ler had ditched his usual outfit for shorts and a tank top. He dismissed Rosie's complaint. He, too, was at a loss of what to do. There was no other option but to go forward, and if he reminded Rosie of this once more he feared he might be strangled. It was at the worst of moments when he saw it. Heaven. Hills covered in the greenest grass he had ever seen, and Truffula trees. There were Truffula trees all around them. "Rosie, we did it! We found Truffula Valley!"

Once-ler exclaimed overjoyed. He jumped off the wagon and ran to hug a Truffula tree. Rosie, however remained seated in the wagon, confused. Once-ler and she were, as it was apparent to her, still in the middle of a desert and Once-ler was hugging a tall cactus joyfully. It didn't take long for Once-ler to realize that what he was hugging was not a Truffula tree at all.

He felt vicious thorns digging at the cheek that was pressed on the cactus. He jumped away from it in terror and walked back to the wagon, completely embarrassed. He couldn't believe he had been seduced by such an irrational mirage. He must have gone completely bonkers to have believed his visions were true.

"Let's not speak of this ever again." Once-ler said to Rosie, with a single manly tear running down his cheek. "Oh, Oncie." Rosie said softly. He had a terrible wound on his cheek from pressing it foolishly on the thorns in his excitement. She took out a small first-aid kit from her bag and grabbed a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide to disinfect it. "Now, this will hurt a tiny bit, but it's for your own good" Rosie warned him.

She soaked a cotton ball in the liquid and drew it along the area of the wound. Once-ler flinched and cringed in pain, but tried to keep still. The compound fizzed and burned him. He recalled a time in his childhood when he had blisters on the tip of his tongue and his grandmother made him rinse his mouth with hydrogen peroxide. It a bitter, unpleasant taste. He was overjoyed that, this time, his tongue would not have to be anywhere near him. Before he knew it Rosie had applied ointment on the wound and put a band-aid over it. "There, all done" she smiled in satisfaction.

He looked at her with watery eyes, still in pain from the wound. Oh dear, why did he have to be /such/ a wimp sometimes? Rosie knew just what would cure the pain. She leaned in closer to him and kissed his cheek sweetly. "Thank you, Rosie," Once-ler said blushing slightly. "Well, what do you know? I'm feeling better already" he joked. They both laughed.

The event took their thoughts away from the harshness of the trip. They rode on and exchanged jokes once in a while. At one point, they became bored enough to sing road trip songs and play I Spy and Rock Paper Scissors. However, they were both very dehydrated and exhausted and soon nodded off to sleep. Melvin looked over at them. Rosie was resting her head on Once-ler's shoulder, sleeping peacefully and Once-ler was snoring loudly. He grunted. What did they expect him to do without anyone to lead him?

He sighed and walked on. He might as well try to find this Truffula Valley place. He gulped. He surely hoped he would reach it alive. Hours went by and his companions were still sound asleep. He had now stepped out of the desert with some difficulty and was riding off into a green place where he hoped he could find a drink of water. He walked as far as he dared until he could no longer walk. He gave a kick to Once-ler out of spite, before collapsing on the ground in exhaustion.

Once-ler woke up to the sharp pain in his leg. "Oww." The first thing he saw was Rosie, who was still sleeping with her head on his shoulder. Her sleeping face made his heart melt. The next thing he noticed was a beautiful place before him. Thick rivers of cool water, the greenest grass he had ever seen, and hundreds, no, thousands of Truffula trees. It must have been a dream. He didn't want to wake up his companion, but he wanted to make sure he was not delusional.

"Rosie," he said softly, "I think we're here." Rosie looked up at him with sleepy eyes. She looked around, finally realizing where they were. Once-ler looked at her and whispered, "I'm not the only one seeing this, right? Please tell me I'm not the only one seeing it." "Oh, Once-ler, we made it! But, how?" "Melvin must have led us here while we slept. Hah! I can't believe it!" Once-ler exclaimed. They stepped off the wagon and Once-ler hugged Rosie tightly. "This is the most beautiful place, mmkay, I have ever seen," he said, in awe of the majestic view before his eyes.

"Once-ler, I can't breathe," Rosie gasped for air. Once-ler dropped her instantly. "Sorry," he laughed nervously. He ran to the back of the wagon and started unpacking. He swayed his hips to and fro, making Rosie turn away abashed. The bar-ba-loots were singing along, and some Humming Fish and Swomee Swans joined him.

He threw all his belongings on the grass, almost taking the life of various animals with his gardening tools. The animals soon sensed that he was dangerous and were ready to confront him violently. In fear, he pulled out two bags of marshmallows to use as shields. They failed him, of course, and an angered Bar-ba-loot charged at him. He ripped the bag open and let out plenty of marshmallows. The creatures were instantly dumbfounded by the sweets. They ate them without complaints and forgot all about the dangerous intruders.

Once-ler took advantage of the temporary distraction, and ran away, signaling for Rosie to follow him. Soon, they were setting up their tents in a space with little to no trees. Once-ler had a large yellow tent with green accents that had "Once-ler's" written on it in large letters. Rosie wouldn't have been surprised if he had his underwear labeled with his name as well. She picked the heart-patterned boxers he had left on the ground earlier, and just as she had speculated, they had his name on it.

Rosie finished setting up her tent in a matter of minutes and helped Once-ler get everything organized inside. He suggested letting him do all the work, but with the way he had unpacked, Rosie didn't think he was capable of that. Once-ler shrugged and decided he might as well chop down a Truffula tree to make his Thneed while she helped him out. He slipped into a pair of green gardening gloves and got into his tree-chopping position. With a few swings of his axe, the Truffula tree fell effortlessly. The creatures that were present gasped, their eyes wide in horror. What had he done? They stared at the tree stump he left behind in confusion. They had never seen a tree stump in their whole life. Seldom did anyone discover Truffula Valley and its wonder, and even less often did someone chop down a tree.

Meanwhile, Rosie was inside, cleaning the tent up a bit for Once-ler's stay. She wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead. She expected it would take her at least an hour more to finish up. She looked out the window in hopes of finding Once-ler back, but all that met her hopeful eyes was a dark, cloudy sky. It had just been clear a few moments ago! Perhaps she had worked for a longer time than she had measured. But, if that were the case, Once-ler should have been back already.

It looked like a storm was coming on. She was about to go look for Once-ler, when the sky was clear again as if by an act of magic. The clouds had gone as soon as they had come. Rosie stood completely still, puzzled. Her eyes must have played tricks on her. She shrugged and went back to cleaning. She dusted the few pieces of furniture that Once-ler owned, washed a few dishes they had used for lunch, and folded Once-ler's clothes and put them away. When she finished, she jumped on Once-ler's bed and decided to rest.

Ah, a bed at last! She had slept in her tent for the past few weeks. She pouted, knowing that she would have to go back to that tent in the night. She might as well enjoy a bed while she had the chance. She squeezed the fluffy pillows and rolled around in the soft bed. Maybe she could visit once in a while and have the bed all to herself while Once-ler was away. She closed her eyes for a moment. It was in the midst of her carefree thoughts that the front wall of the tent threatened to fall, but Rosie didn't notice at all.

She had her back turned to that very wall. She noticed nothing amiss until she heard Once-ler screaming at.. his mustache? He didn't even have a mustache! Whatever he was cursing at, he was awfully angry. She decided it was best to wait it out. A moment or two later, the door flew open and she saw Once-ler sticking his tongue out at a very odd creature. He closed the door behind him, infuriated, but the creature was not gone. In fact, the short orange thing (which was a male, as far as she could tell by the gruffness of its voice) threatened to unleash all the forces of nature on him if he stayed.

"You have been warned!" the little orange thing proclaimed and attempted to open the door, only to find that the doorknob was higher than his stature. Once-ler dismissed his threats, and sighing heavily, he sat down next to Rosie on the ever so comfy bed. He had a terrible day. But at least he wouldn't have to travel any more. "What was that all about?" Rosie inquired, curious to know.

"Mustache, ahem, The Lorax," he rolled his eyes in annoyance, "is upset that I'm using his precious Truffula tree for my Thneed." Rosie laughed. He was one grumpy Lorax, whatever that was. "That's all?"

"Yeah, that's what I said! I just chopped down /one/ tree!" he laughed. Rosie looked back at him horrified. "You did /what/?!" she exclaimed. "Do you know how long it takes for a Truffula tree to grow?" Once-ler stayed silent. "Ah, of course you don't. You nature-defiling beanpole. You /do/ know you can harvest the tufts, right?"  
"But that would take too long!"

"And what do you value more? The innocent Truffula trees or a bit of time?" Once-ler hoped that was a rhetorical question because he didn't know how to answer. The Rosie who was usually as sweet as honey was sitting next to him, scolding him mercilessly. "I-I'm so sorry." he apologized, "I didn't think these trees meant that much to you." He hung his head down in shame. He wouldn't care if it had been anyone else, but, for some reason unknown to him, he wanted Rosie's approval. Rosie sighed. He could be /such/ a wimp sometimes. "Look, Oncie, I'm sorry I freaked out. Just.. no more chopping down trees please."

"I promise," he said crossing his chest. Once-ler made her a cup of tea to calm her down, and she sipped it down without a word. She went back to her tent when she emptied her cup. He bid farewell to her as she left and saw her off, not that her walk was that long. Her tent was a few paces from Once-ler's. He felt terrible. He gathered the tufts he collected and started knitting his Thneed miserably.

He finished when the darkness of the night reached his tent. He was planning to invite Rosie into his tent. There was no way she could be comfortable in that thing, but she had left angered. Still, looking down at his finished work, he couldn't help feeling proud. "Now that's a Thneed," he said proudly to himself, "nothing unmanly about knitting, no sir." Rosie would have giggled at that. He sighed. He hoped she wouldn't stay angry at him long. He would miss those carefree laughs. He collapsed on his bed and dreamed of Rosie.


End file.
